


Regard My Ardent Prayer

by nobodymove



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Eventual Romance, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29210637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobodymove/pseuds/nobodymove
Summary: Thanatos has an acolyte.
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the Orphic Hymn “To Death, Fumigation from Manna.” Rating will go up in future chapters, tags to be added as necessary.

Thanatos was pacing the balcony outside Hades’ administrative offices, arms crossed and clearly laboring under the burden of his thoughts. This was where Hypnos found him.

“Hey, you’re back!” Hypnos called in greeting. Upon inspecting his twin at close range, Hypnos’ eyes narrowed in concern as they took in Thanatos’ expression. “Are you... um... Are you like, good?”

Thanatos wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. “I... I was just. Hermes brought me a message. From Lord Ares.”

“Is he trying to give you a commendation again?” Hypnos interjected. “Big Bossman did _not_ appreciate it last-” 

“No! No. It’s- he mentioned. The word around Olympus is. ...I have a worshipper.”

“A worshipper?” Hypnos asked with his customary blunt curiosity, offensive on anyone less amicable.

“There’s,” Thanatos gestured vaguely, hands at a loss. He could empathize. “They built me a temple.”

“They built a temple? For you?”

“For me.”

Hypnos’ dimples framed a gentler smile, and his reply was softer, more affectionate. “Hey! That’s great! Your first one! And they built you a temple & everything! What are you gonna do?”

“I- I don’t. Know,” Thanatos managed, too off balance for even his usual teasing curtness.

“You don’t?”

“This has never happened to me before,” he admitted, conversation well into personal territory he felt uncomfortable sharing with anyone, let alone Hypnos.

“Are you… nervous?” Hypnos asked, squinting, watching Thanatos’ features for a tell.

Thanatos rearranged his arms, holding himself tighter and gripping his elbow. “Of course not. Hah! What an absurd notion.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Hypnos continued blithely. “Wouldn’t want to make a bad first impression.”

“...First impression.”

Hypnos nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. “When you meet them. In your temple.”

“I have to meet them?” Thanatos asked, voice rising in pitch near imperceptibly.

“I mean, that’s usually how it goes,” Hypnos replied.

“That’s usually... How often do you- You have worshippers?” Thanatos asked, finally settling on a question.

“Oh yeah, natch. Mortals love me! Got a couple temples, some shrines, a big fresco, a bunch of statues, amphorae out the…” Hypnos stopped himself, seeming to come to a realization about being considerate to his brother. “But you know, quantity isn’t important, it’s about _quality_.”

Thanatos was far less interested in Hypnos’ pity, such as it was, than he was in his practical experience. “So you, what, appear before them? Ask for their requests?”

“Me?” Hypnos asked, incredulous. “Oh Hades no, I appear in their dreams, tell them my thoughts & my bidding & stuff, give them chores. They love chores! Can’t get enough of ‘em.”

“Wait,” Thanatos said, coming to a heretofore unrealized understanding about the nature of his twin’s Chthonic aspects, “When you’re sleeping on duty in the front hall, are you not _actually-_ ” He paused, reconsidering. “...You know what, never mind. How do I enter an acolyte’s dream, is there a Sigil or...?”

“I…” Hypnos trailed off, thinking. “You know, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? Isn’t that your whole job?”

“No. ...Rude,” he muttered under his breath. “It’s my thing, I kind of just... do it. Like you, with the ‘poof!’ and the,” Hypnos continued, pantomiming a scything gesture with whooshing sound effects, “and the _Death Approaches,_ ” he finished, voice as near a facsimile to Thanatos’ as he could physically manage. 

“...I understand what you mean, but I still have the sudden urge to dunk you into Phlegethon,” Thanatos replied, voice edged with a threat unique to siblings who’ve known each other since sharing a primordial womb.

Hypnos was unfortunately immune. “I think you can just, you know. Go.”

“Just... go.”

“Yeah! Just. You know,” Hypnos waved a hand airily. “Pop in & say hello!”

“I mean. ...Should I attempt to make an entrance of some sort?”

Hypnos paused. “An... entrance?”

“Like... I’ve heard that’s what other gods-” Thanatos had rapidly reached the end of his endurance for this humiliating conversation. “You know what? Forget it.”

“No, no. Go ahead!” Hypnos said, sincerity giving Thanatos the will to continue.

“It’s my first acolyte. I just don’t want them to be. ...Disappointed,” he muttered.

“Oh, Than... c’mon. C’mere,” Hypnos said as he invaded Thanatos’ personal space, pulling him into a hug by the shoulders.

“Hypnos, you really don’t have to-”

Hypnos pushed himself back, holding Thanatos by the shoulders. “You’re gonna do great. Just _be yourself._ They built you a temple with offerings and everything. They already love you.”

Thanatos shrugged out of Hypnos’ grip, reestablishing his personal bubble. “Yes,” he said, clearing his throat. “Well.”

“Besides,” Hypnos added cheerfully, “They might be completely unhinged!”

Thanatos froze, midway through smoothing the wrinkles out of his chiton and readjusting his gorget. “Un- what?”

“Oh yeah, mortals find all sorts of reasons to worship gods! They’re barely hangin’ in there trying to make sense of a world that’s entirely out of their control. Attracts a lot of real characters. See?” he said, patting Thanatos’ arm in reassurance. “The stakes couldn’t be lower!”

“...Great.”

“Really takes the pressure off!”

“I’m just going to-” Thanatos said, gesturing with a thumb over his shoulder.

Hypnos gave him two emphatically supportive thumbs up in return, gently floating backward in the direction of Lord Hades’ desk.

“Yeah-” he finished, vanishing into thin air. 

The day was overcast but warm, a pleasant breeze moving through the peristyle of wooden columns and into the inner cella, where Thanatos found himself standing behind an altar laden with offerings. The simple cypress doors to the cella were open, revealing a latticework of wooden rafters and beams holding up terracotta tiles that made up the roof, and the expanse of smooth stone slabs that comprised the stylobate and inner flooring.

There were very few decorative elements, though the choice of broad, as-of-yet unhewn limestone elements throughout suggested space for carved pediments and friezes. The precision and care with which everything had been carried out suggested a meticulous builder who was perhaps pressed for time.

Thanatos ran his hand along the cool marble slab that made up the altar stone, marveling over the sheer variety of fruits, nuts, herbs and flowers he’d never seen before. He was no stranger to mortals, but he did not have the luxury of experiencing their culture or customs beyond the funerary. Next to a brass charger of burning incense, nestled between the branches of a bay laurel and a small, sweet smelling cake soaked in honey, was a single bottle of nectar, tantalizing amber liquid illuminated in the ambient light.

“...Oh. I- I didn’t think this would work.” 

Thanatos started, taking a step back from the altar and giving his full attention to the mortal he hadn’t noticed until that moment.

He appeared nervous, smaller in height and stature than Thanatos but with a barely repressed energy that coiled in his limbs as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, waiting for something, though Thanatos couldn’t begin to guess what.

“Er, hello,” he said with a wave. “I’m Zagreus.”

At this point, it seemed to occur to Zagreus that waving was perhaps too overly familiar a way to greet a deity, and instead he held out his hand in greeting.

Thanatos stared at the proffered hand, mystified.

Zagreus stiffly retracted his arm, eventually making what Thanatos assumed was supposed to be a formal bow.

He didn’t know where to begin. This did not appear to deter Zagreus.

“I- I’m so sorry Mr. Thanatos. Death. Mr. Death, Sir. I’ve never worshipped a god before so I don’t…” Zagreus said, wincing, “really know what i’m doing.”

Thanatos let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He wasn’t the only one out of his depth. “That’s quite alright... Zagreus.”

“Oh,” Zagreus replied immediately, “you’ve a nice voice, haven’t you?” Once his thought process had a moment to catch up with what he’d said, Zagreus went wide eyed, staring at the ground in disbelief.

It was… endearing.

“...Thanatos is fine.”

“What?” Zagreus asked, startled out of what was in all likelihood an embarrassing internal dressing down.

“You may call me Thanatos. If you’d like.”

Zagreus looked pleased, as though he’d made it to a milestone in an imaginary conversation he’d been practicing for weeks. “Oh! Yes. Right. Mr.- Er. Thanatos.”

“...Is there something you needed. From me.”

Zagreus shifted his weight again, uncertain. “That seems a bit unfair to you, doesn’t it? Asking for favors when we’ve only just met? Is that how it’s done?” 

“I wouldn’t know,” Thanatos replied drily.

“Surely your colleagues-”

“I work alone,” Thanatos interjected. “With rare exceptions.”

“Bit lonely, isn’t it?” Zagreus asked, making an attempt at casual that was utterly undercut by his genuine bearing.

“...Not at the moment, no,” Thanatos said, ghost of a smile playing about the corners of his mouth.

Thanatos stepped out from behind the altar, stopping a short distance from Zagreus as he took him in. He was dressed in a chiton that fell to mid thigh, thickly woven green material fading into orange and then a subtle red at the hem, finished with a meander pattern of stylized sheaves of wheat. It was held at his waist by a belt, the buckle masterfully sculpted into two horse skulls holding poppies in their teeth. The green leather wraps at his wrists matched perfectly the shade of the laurels he wore in a loose crown, blooming with small, delicate flowers.

Three skeletal serpents made up the pauldron on his left shoulder, and over dark brown woolen leggings, he wore a pair of curiously designed knee high boots. The vamp of the boot was made from a metallic alloy Thanatos had never seen before, seamlessly attached to a leather upper that ended in a floral design at the knee. They frankly radiated with power.

“Nice boots,” Thanatos remarked.

“Thank you,” Zagreus said, holding out his right foot, pivoting to show off the craftsmanship. “My grandmother had them commissioned from Hephaestus.”

“You’re… a demigod,” Thanatos concluded.

“Yes. I mean, I think so. It’s a bit complex. You see, I was born of a mortal and a god. Presumably. No one held me in the Styx by my ankles as far as I know. My mother sought refuge with Demeter shortly before going into labor. Died during childbirth. I was stillborn. Grandmother, Demeter, she brought me back to life. Raised me not far from here.”

“I don’t know how much longer I can stay to hear your story,” Thanatos said. “Though I don’t feel as terrible as I usually do, on the surface,” he mused, cursorily examining his hand, wondering at the loss of that familiar draining sensation he associated with his work.

“That must be the temple! That’s how Hestia said it would work, if I built it this way. The grounds are consecrated with Chthonic energy, and the Styx runs through here, underground. Took me a while to find the right spot. And quite a few rats and satyrs to get enough of those little purple crystals.”

Thanatos gave him a patient look.

“Er. I digress. Anyway. Got older, some non-mortal talents started manifesting themselves, trained with centaurs, set out on godly trials to test my mettle, the usual.”

“The usual,” Thanatos replied, raising his eyebrows.

Zagreus laughed. “For a demigod. Sounds a bit silly I suppose, if you’re not used to the way Olympus does things. I was coming home from one of those, actually, and grandmother was out, and she forgot her ledger, and, well, I may have perused it a bit.”

“...You read your grandmother’s diary,” Thanatos said, unimpressed.

“...I did do that, yes. But! Er, if you’ll let me continue, your um. Deathliness.”

Thanatos could hear the gentle call of newly dead pressing at the edge of his perception, but he could allow a few moments longer. “Go on.”

“Well, that is to say. Long story short, I think that Hades is… my father.”

“...Excuse me?” Thanatos replied, deadpan.

“Hades. God of the Underworld, keeper of the dead, deity of riches, pomegranate enthusiast, my father, apparently.” Zagreus continued, nervous.

“I’m familiar,” Thanatos said, terse. “So all of this,” he gestured to their surroundings, irritation perceptible only in the small wrinkle of tension between his eyebrows, “is a ploy to meet Lord Hades.”

“No, no” Zagreus continued, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m not that sort of mortal, please don’t misunderstand,” he huffed, the loose strands of hair that had fallen over his one luminous green eye rustling at the short exhalation of breath. “This is why I didn’t want to talk about it our first meeting.”

“What?” Thanatos replied dryly, “wanted to warm me up first? Get a few nectars in me, bring me some hydra’s teeth, sacrifice a goat or two?”

Zagreus rifled through the bag at his side, pulling out a handful of fangs and extending them to Thanatos. “They’re not fresh, but if it’s hydra’s teeth you’re after I _can_ deliver.”

“Zagreus.”

“No one I asked knew what you would like, so I brought a bit of everything, but if Lord Thanatos wants goats, bit of a hassle, but goats you shall have.”

“ _Zagreus_.”

Zagreus snapped his mouth shut, teeth clicking audibly.

“This is fine,” Thanatos said, picking up the bottle of nectar from the altar behind him and inspecting it, slipping it into his robes. “Contrary to popular belief, I prefer this,” he said, picking up a palm sized red fruit, sniffing it before taking a bite, chewing thoughtfully, and swallowing, “to unnecessary death.”

“Apples. Alright. Good to know,” Zagreus said, swallowing thickly.

Silence stretched between them.

“Please understand that I fully intend to prove my devotion by any means necessary,” Zagreus blurted.

Thanatos did not choke, but it was a near thing. “What?”

“I need your help. I can’t express to you how humiliating it is going from temple to temple asking any god listening if they’re my father, and having to sit through a laundry list of conquests that frankly make me want to dunk my head in the Lethe, only for a pat on the head and a ‘thanks for vanquishing that giant murderous bear for me, perhaps you should try this god’s temple two towns over, you’ve got his elbows’ or what have you.”

Thanatos blinked, trying to process the onslaught of information.

“He’s the only lead I have left. And I’ve tried _everything_ to get into the underworld. It’s like there are these invisible strings keeping me away. When your brother said that he couldn’t help me I nearly gave up, but he pointed me in your direction.”

“Hypnos sent you to me?” Thanatos asked, annoyance clear in his tone.

“No, no, I spoke to Charon- you’re brother to Hypnos as well? What is that like?”

“ _Charon_ spoke? To _you_?”

“Nice bloke. I er, meeting him first, I wasn’t expecting _you_ , I mean. The family resemblance is there but he… erm... oversold it a bit. Quite chatty when he’s got something on his mind.”

“...Listen-”

Zagreus dropped to his hands and knees, looking up at Thanatos in supplication. “I understand that this feels like a request where you give me something and then never hear from me again. Like you're some kind of stepping stone to a higher authority. But I swear to you, I swear that I will build the rest of my life around the worship of you. My honor is your honor, my blade is your blade, my will is your will. I pledge my oath, my loyalty, to you and no other.”

“...Please stand up,” Thanatos requested weakly, hand over his face to hide the rising color on his cheeks.

Zagreus rose to his feet. Thanatos could feel the weight of Zagreus’ expectations even through the shield of his hand. He sighed deeply, pushing the long hair out of his face and brushing it back over his shoulder. 

“I’ll think about it,” he said quietly.

Zagreus looked as though he was going to grab Thanatos’ hands, but quickly abandoned the gesture. “Thank you! Thank you Lord Thanatos.” He bowed his head. “Your consideration is. That’s- that’s all I wanted.”

“It’s no easy feat, what you’re asking,” Thanatos said in all seriousness. “I can’t just take you directly into the House of Hades like I would a newly dead soul. The living can’t walk where I walk.”

“And the dead can’t return,” Zagreus said. “Or so I’ve heard.”

“There are logistics at play here that I would have to work around. And with that said, I’ve neglected my duties long enough.”

“Of course, thank you Lord Thanatos,” Zagreus said with an awkward bow that, while showing signs of improvement, still left something to be desired.

Thanatos picked through the rest of the offerings, pocketing what looked most appetizing. “I’ll return when I can. And Zagreus?”

“Lord Thanatos?”

“Just ‘Thanatos’ is fine,” he said, and then he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanatos has no idea how to plan... whatever the opposite of a heist is.

It was over a week before Thanatos was able to return to Zagreus. He spent most of that time attending to his duties, true, but every other waking moment was devoted to avoiding Hypnos. Thanatos steadfastly ignored his twin’s entreaties to talk about his acolyte whenever he had to report to Lord Hades at his desk, which eventually earned him a knowing look and a single sentence lecture from Mother Nyx about the treatment of his brother.

He reluctantly relented, given Hypnos’ incomprehension, feigned or genuine, of concepts like tact or discretion. The conversation that followed was stilted and painful, but at least this time Zagreus was not an unknown, and Thanatos could say very little without so obviously projecting his nervous apprehension, and without revealing the particulars of the possible identity of his worshipper.

The weather on the surface was fine, and as Thanatos surveyed the progress of smaller projects throughout the temple, it was evident Zagreus had been busy. There was a half constructed scaffold under the pediment on the far side of the structure, and a delicately carved sculpture created for that space, half unwrapped, lay on the ground nearby. The landscape around the temple, too, had changed, and while he wasn’t particularly familiar with plants, as his expertise fell firmly in the realm of death, he was astonished at how healthy and well established everything seemed to be.

Upon the altar stone, nestled amongst a decadent display of fresh offerings, was another bottle of nectar. Slipping it into his pocket, Thanatos chose a round fruit with a thick rind, the color of sunset, peeling away the exterior and availing himself of the segmented sweetness within. He approached Zagreus, silent, finding him bent over a bench, chiseling out a pattern of butterflies and poppies into a thick wooden panel.

“You’re not unskilled at that,” he commented softly, taking slight amusement at making Zagreus jump.

“Lo- er, Thanatos!” his acolyte cried out warmly, setting his tools down on the bench and brushing the wood shavings off of himself, before standing, and then sinking to one knee and bowing his head.

“You really don’t have to do that every time-” Thanatos began.

“I want to treat you with the deference you deserve.” Zagreus interrupted, looking up at him with those peculiar heterochromic eyes.

“I would prefer it if-”

“If there’s something I can do that you’d like better,” Zagreus interrupted again, before realizing, catching himself, and going quiet.

“What I mean,” Thanatos continued, “is that I’d prefer not to waste time on formalities. Consider it a favor to me to be more… casual. For the sake of expediency.”

This time, Zagreus was the one with color dusting his cheekbones. “I’ll… try to keep that in mind. Thanatos. Sir. Er. Just Thanatos, I mean.”

Thanatos could feel the corner of his mouth lift in amusement, and Zagreus stood, quietly laughing at himself. “I take it you’ve thought over my proposal?”

Thanatos nodded slowly, once. “I’d like to help you. If I can.”

Zagreus brightened. “I. Thank you. That’s. I- I’m trying very hard not to overwhelm you with expressions of my sincerest gratitude.”

“Duly noted,” Thanatos said drily, and Zagreus barked out a real laugh this time. 

“I’ve been thinking about the nature of the Underworld, and what I’ve tried so far,” Zagreus said, “and I have a few things I thought we might try. When you have time, I mean. Unless you have a concrete plan, I’m more than willing to-”

“No,” Thanatos replied. “Let’s hear what you’re thinking and go from there.”

“This isn’t going to work,” Thanatos calmly asserted a third time, gently gripping Zagreus’ upper arm anyway, looping his fingers through the extra material of his chiton for support. Zagreus ran hotter than expected, certainly warmer than any shade he’d had to deal with or any mortal he’d come into brief contact with, ushered away in their grief.

“I’m almost certain it won’t,” Zagreus said, “But things often don’t work quite as they’re supposed to with me. It used to vex Grandmother, and frustrate Chiron and Artemis no end.”

“You know Lady Artemis?” Thanatos asked. “I was under the impression she didn’t keep company with men.”

“With a few notable exceptions,” Zagreus replied. “We met through Chiron and Grandmother approved of the acquaintance.”

“Is that a rarity, with Lady Demeter?”

Zagreus looked as though he was organizing his thoughts. “Grandmother… Something happened to her, I think. She doesn’t trust much of anyone, especially not the Olympians. And she is… overprotective of me, in particular. She doesn’t even really like when I associate with the nymphs. ...Grief is an unpredictable thing. She prefers that I don’t come into contact with the gods, and when I do, I mean, you know, sometimes it’s unavoidable. But I don’t advertise myself as anything other than a- a-”

“An extraordinary mortal? The bastard child of a lesser Olympian?”

“Something like that,” Zagreus assented.

“I’m ready,” Thanatos said, getting back to the subject at hand.

“Ready,” Zagreus replied with a nod, steadying himself for impact.

Thanatos teleported to his usual place on the balcony overlooking the Styx in the West Hall of the House of Hades.

Zagreus did not come with him.

Zagreus’ chiton, however, held his form for half a moment before gravity rendered it once again into shapeless drapery.

Thanatos looked at it for a few moments, before comprehension dawned on him, and he returned in an instant to the temple, where he hoped Zagreus was waiting, shirtless, but in one piece.

He found Zagreus standing on the steps, and did his best to keep his gaze above his acolyte’s clavicles. “So. That didn’t work,” he said, holding out Zagreus’ chiton.

Zagreus laughed. “Not in the way I hoped, no, but,” he said, setting the material carefully off to the side, “look at what I _can_ do!”

Zagreus took a leaping step, and in a way that was intimately familiar to Thanatos, winked out of existence and appeared a short distance away.

“You can…” Thanatos murmured, astonished. “Is this… new?”

“I’ve never done it before,” Zagreus replied, dashing again and appearing next to Thanatos. “I didn’t know it was a thing that anyone could do, to be honest. When you went to, erm, wherever you went to just now, I didn’t manage to go with you, I mean, obviously. But I don’t know. I was pulled along with you for as far as I could go, I think. Does that make sense? So I tried it again, on my own, and,” Zagreus moved again, blinking abruptly in and out of existence, before returning to Thanatos’ side.

“It’s not exactly a common ability. Do you think that’s as far as you can go?” Thanatos asked, genuinely curious.

Zagreus unbuckled his pauldron and undid his belt, wrapping his chiton back around himself and readjusting his clothes. “I don’t know. I’ll have to practice.”

“It still doesn’t solve your current predicament,” Thanatos said, attempting to keep them both grounded.

“No,” Zagreus agreed, “But if I can improve at it, maybe it will be enough to go along with you.”

Thanatos let out a small breath. “While I think it’s something you should pursue, yes, I…”

“You don’t think it’s enough.”

“Not for what you want to do, where you want to go,” Thanatos replied. He sighed, frustrated. “I’m stuck on the logistics. There are things that I am forbidden to do for you, and things I _have_ to do in order to fulfill my own obligations to the House that would leave you exposed to perilous conditions. While I don’t know your grandmother personally, I do know her by reputation. Keeping this from her until after the fact is one thing, and that’s for you to deal with, but if anything happens to you… I refuse to be responsible for bringing her wrath down upon the House of Hades. ...And to be honest, I’m not as familiar with the layout of the kingdom as others.”

“You can go wherever you want in an instant,” Zagreus commented, “having a map isn’t exactly vital to your duties.”

Thanatos nodded. “That, and there _is_ no map. The underworld rearranges itself of its own accord, to keep shades in and everyone else out. I’ll need to talk to a few… colleagues. If they don’t have any insights… there are one or two others I can think of as a last resort but… let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“I… Thanatos…” Zagreus said, “You’re doing so much for me, I-”

Thanatos put a hand on him, gently pressing the pads of his fingers into the bare skin of Zagreus’ shoulder. “Don’t concern yourself on my account. I’m doing this because I _want_ to,” he said, mouth lifting into a small smile. “...I have to go, but I’ll return when I have a better idea of what we can do.” 

He vanished before Zagreus could think to reply.

For some minutes afterward, Zagreus absently rubbed at the place where Thanatos’ hand had been.

  
  


Clotho opened the door of the chambers she shared with her sisters before Thanatos had lifted his hand to knock.

“Sister,” he said, respectfully bowing his head.

“Brother,” she greeted warmly, “you may come into the antechamber for a few moments, but we are otherwise preoccupied.”

“Of course, I understand,” Thanatos said. “I’m sorry to interrupt, and… if I shouldn’t have come, I can go-”

“I am the one who should apologize,” Clotho said, expression open and sincere. “I do not have much I can tell you. _She_ didn’t want me to say anything at all, but Lachesis agreed with _me_ for once, and so here I am.”

“She doesn’t seem to like me very much,” Thanatos said, trying not to sound as injured as he sometimes felt, however infrequent his dealings with his sisters.

Clotho laughed softly. “Don’t let her hear you, little brother. I think she likes _you_ the best of all of us.”

Thanatos took this in with some surprise. “Atropos?”

“Of the Moirai, she understands you best of all I think. She feels guilty, you know. The children of Mother Night, some of them, Moros, Ker, Momus, Oizys, Apate, Eris, Nemesis, while not beyond _our_ reach… We three at least have each other, to bear the weight of it, you understand. Your twin does not appear to struggle under so heavy a burden, and Charon…” She laughed. “We may foresee the current that carries his vessel, but he is very much in control of the rudder.”

“Then, why would she feel…?”

“I think,” Clotho continued, “That she wishes she could follow her own task through to its natural end, so that you, perhaps, would not be so beholden to it. But do not tell her I told you so, her reasons for everything are always her own.”

Thanatos nodded. “You know why I’m here, of course.”

“I do,” she said, with a hint of smugness. “Always.”

“Then… is there anything I should be doing? Anything you can tell me, forgive my impertinence, but even a hint that I’m doing right by… that I’m going in the right direction...”

“I will tell you exactly nothing, as I always do, and you will be grateful for it,” Clotho replied. 

Thanatos took in a deep breath, disappointed.

“However…” she said. “My advice as a sister to a brother, is to let your intuition guide you in this matter, and have faith in where you have chosen to place your trust.” She patted his arm. “Now off you go. You know you should have gone there first, and here not at all, and now there’s truly no putting it off any longer. Nothing further or Atropos will have a fit.”

Thanatos let out the breath in a huff. “You’re right. I mean, you’re always right,” he shook his head. “Thank you. For your insight. And for, well, not listening, really, but. You know what I mean.”

“I always do,” she said. “When it’s over, Thanatos, all of it I mean, you _will_ come back to see us, won’t you.” It was not a question. She closed the door in his face, further muffling the distant sound of a spinning wheel, a shuttle, and the quiet metallic glide of a pair of sharp shears.

“It’s just one meeting,” Thanatos muttered to himself as he passed through the doorway to a chamber that was larger and more uniquely designed than many in Hades. “One meeting, and then, by the will of any other god listening, I’ll never have to see him again.”

“Lord Thanatos, sir,” greeted a mild voice upon seeing him, raising Thanatos’ hackles like nothing else could. “Good day to you. Or night. Whenever it so happens to be. To what do I owe this honor?”

“Sisyphus,” Thanatos said in greeting, trying with little success to unclench his jaw.

“And Bouldy,” Sisyphus said in a way that was somehow more than a polite request to acknowledge his crudely hewn counterpart.

Thanatos nodded at the rock in question. “And Bouldy.”

This seemed to pacify Sisyphus momentarily. “Was there something you needed to discuss, perhaps? Alecto was just here, but I don’t think she’s much inclined to be back soon, if you’re looking for the Furies.”

“No,” Thanatos said, attempting to collect his thoughts.

Sisyphus seemed perfectly content to wait.

“I need...” Thanatos said. “I would like to request your help, Sisyphus.”

The king raised his eyebrows in interest. “Really? And how could I possibly be of service to you, O Death?”

“I need... advice,” he gritted out.

“I was considered wise once,” Sisyphus mused, “though I would consider myself moreso now, despite what my igneous friend here has to say about it,” he said, fondly patting the large boulder.

“You’ve gotten the better of Gods before.”

“...I have.” Sisyphus replied slowly. “But that was a long time ago, and I’m much changed since then.”

“Then you couldn’t do it again,” Thanatos stated.

“I didn’t say that,” Sisyphus replied, bemused.

They stared at each other for some time.

Finally, Sisyphus sat, slinging an arm around the boulder next to him, in repose. “Why don’t you tell me your predicament, Sir Death, and I’ll tell you if I have anything useful to say about the matter.”

“Hypothetically,” Thanatos began, “if a living mortal of little significance were trying to make it to the Great Hall of the House of Hades, how would they go about it?” Thanatos posited carefully.

Sisyphus looked intrigued, and rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. “Does Orpheus mean to try again?” he asked.

Thanatos shook his head. “The Styx delivered Orpheus to the underworld long ago.”

“Ah,” Sisyphus said. “A great shame. I had held out some hope for those two. Time does tend to go by when one is toiling under one’s eternal punishment, does it not?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Thanatos said, sour. “The question is a hypothetical, take it or leave it.”

“Well,” Sisyphus said, lost in thought. “Would this mortal have any help? Any heavenly gifts or godly blessings? Or are they truly powerless?”

“They’re... healthy. Perhaps stronger than average, but no, beyond some martial training, they wouldn’t have any advantages of that sort.”

Sisyphus tapped his fingers against his chin for some minutes. 

Thanatos waited in agitation.

“First of all. A living mortal would likely need a token of some sort from your kind to keep from being removed by Hermes or the Styx or the threads of the Moirai or by some other means, don’t you suppose?”

Thanatos took a step forward. “...Go on.”

“So, Chthonic token secured, if you were a clever, expeditious person, you could outrun or hide from the lesser shades of this place, so one must identify the true obstacles of the House, correct? If it were me, I mean, I would go to the records room and carefully memorize the verbiage of the contracts governing the conduct of the Guardian of the Gates, the Champion of Elysium, the Lernaean Hydra, the Warden of Tartarus, and the Protector of the House.”

“What good would that do?” Thanatos asked.

Sisyphus smiled, gesturing with his open palms. “Perhaps none at all. But it’s worth knowing if, say, the Champion of Elysium must “fight all who challenge him,” rather than “all who try to pass him.” Whether he is obligated to “fight those dead trying to escape,” rather than “the living willingly trying to get in.” It certainly won’t help you on the way back up,” he said with a chuckle, “but you don’t seem nearly as concerned about getting out as you do about getting in.”

Thanatos took this into consideration.

“What’s more,” Sisyphus continued, “if there is perhaps something stipulated in their contract you could use as... well, leverage is a word with such duplicitous intentions. More like... a favor for a favor, if you understand my meaning.”

“That is... a very good point. Something to build on, at least,” Thanatos conceded, a plan beginning to take shape in his mind’s eye. “Your input is... appreciated Sisyphus,” he said, considering when the best time to tackle the mess of the records room would be as he made to leave.

Sisyphus shook his head. “Why, it’s nothing at all, Lord Thanatos. It’s only...”

Thanatos paused, turning back toward him.

“My advice is freely given,” Sisyphus added, scratching the side of his nose, looking a bit sheepish. “My silence, however, is somewhat more costly.”

Thanatos dug his fingernails into his palms, approaching Sisyphus after an abrupt about-face. “What do you want?” he asked the shade, voice low.

Sisyphus met his gaze and did not flinch. “An alleviation of my sentence. I’m not so naive as to ask for my freedom, but... If the Furies could go a bit easier on me, it would be most appreciated.”

“I don’t have the authority to alter a contract,” Thanatos replied.

“You’ll be in the records room anyway,” Sisyphus said with an amicable smile. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”


End file.
